


Everything He Wants

by jdjunkie



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Christmas, M/M, Off-World, Romance, Season seven fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:37:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdjunkie/pseuds/jdjunkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a year without him, being close to Daniel anywhere was a bonus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything He Wants

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Princess of Geeks (Princess)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess/gifts).



_Come live with me and be my love,_  
And we will all the pleasures prove  
That hills and valleys, dale and field,  
And all the craggy mountains yield. – The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, Christopher Marlowe

 

 

“So. That happened.” Jack wafted away the veil of dust caused by the rockfall and coughed. Behind him, Daniel coughed, too. Jack turned to face him. “You hurt?”

Daniel scrunched up his face, held up his index finger and sneezed loudly. “Nope.”

Jack grimaced. “Bless.”

Daniel wiped his nose on the sleeve of his jacket, which made Jack grimace again.

“What?” Daniel asked, sounding somewhat pissed. “I didn’t happen to bring a dainty pack of tissues with me. My nose was not supposed to be clogged by the dust from falling rocks.” He sniffed loudly to make a point.

Jack pursed his lips, considered a snippy rejoinder but instead pointed his flashlight at the pile of rocks that had finally settled into place.

Daniel stepped around him and walked up to what had been the cave entrance. “This is going to take a while, isn’t it?” he said, wearily.

Jack pulled him away with a warning, “Aht!” before Daniel could touch anything and make things worse. Because there was every chance he would make it worse. Daniel was good at many things but risk-assessing in the face of imminent danger from an unstable pile of alien stone wasn’t one of them.

“Sam and Teal’c know we’re here. They’ll be onto it.”

Jack found Daniel’s faith in his teammates touching. “Sure. As long as they weren’t hurt in the quake while setting up Carter’s mobile lab on the edge of the forest, where there are lots of big old trees with dodgy root systems, and as long as the ground didn’t open up and swallow them or trap them on the wrong side of a giant fissure.”

Daniel blinked, and Jack noted how some of the dust had settled in those cute little crow’s feet that crinkled at the side of his eyes. He’d kissed those lines many times, licked away tears, nuzzled into smiles. Just thinking about it filled him with a quiet delight that was only slightly tempered by the fact that they were trapped in an alien cave a thousand light years from home. At least they were trapped together. After a year without him, being close to Daniel anywhere was a bonus.

“You’re the team leader. You’re supposed to be ‘up’,” Daniel admonished.

“In that case ... Of course they’re onto it. They’re fine. We’ll be out of here in no time.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes.

Jack smiled his most insouciant smile.

Daniel shook his head, then put his hands on his hips and regarded the rocks. “Should we start digging ourselves out?”

Jack ran his gaze over the results of the rockfall. “Absolutely not. It’s going to take some serious lifting equipment.”

Daniel turned around and peered into the depths of the cave. “Are we going to suffocate in here? I mean, will we run out of air? Is one of us going to have to kill the other to survive? Because I would like to point out that I’m younger and have more life left to live, if that is the case.”

Jack gave him the look and checked out the face of the rockfall. He clambered gingerly over a few of the outer stones and stayed there, perfectly still, for a few seconds. “We’re okay. There’s air coming through, not much but enough.” He peered more closely. “Can’t see daylight though.” He backtracked, carefully. “Yep. Serious lifting equipment. Better get comfortable.”

Daniel made a big show of considering their surroundings. “Okay, I’ll just sit in that big, comfortable armchair over there while you do the Colonel in charge thing.” He wandered over and slid down the wall of the cave until he was sitting on the floor.

Not really hoping for a positive result, Jack clicked his radio. “Carter, Teal’c, come in.” The reply came in the form of a loud burst of static. “In case you’re reading me, Daniel and I are trapped by a rockfall near the mouth of the cave system. We’re unhurt but you’ll need heavy rescue gear. We’re sitting tight. O’Neill out.”

Jack crossed to where Daniel was sitting and slid down to sit beside him, biting back a moan as his knees creaked and complained.

“I knew it was too good to be true,” Daniel sighed. “Peaceful planet. Trinium deposits. Amazing cave art. Merry Christmas, by the way.”

Jack stopped rubbing his right knee and turned his head to look at Daniel. Then he looked at his watch. “Fuck. This was supposed to be a hit-and-run. Eight hours tops. Back in time for eggnog.” He glanced around the cave. “Not exactly what I had planned.”

Daniel began absently rubbing Jack’s knee. It felt so good. Better than any heat pad or cooling gel. Daniel’s touch was better than anything.

“What did you have planned?”

“Steak dinner for two. Good wine. That chocolate dessert from the new patisserie in town that had you practically licking the window. Great Scotch.” His voice dropped an octave and fell to a whisper. “Early, _early_ night.”

That produced a smile. Daniel smiles were rare and precious and so, so beautiful. Just seeing his full, expressive mouth turn up slightly at one corner, the way is eyes lit up with delight and then sparked with something else; something that looked a whole lot like love. It all conspired to make Jack’s heart beat a little faster. Not bad considering it had been frozen for the long twelve months of Daniel’s absence.

“Sounds good,” Daniel said simply. Just two words. The look on his face said a lot more. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

Jack watched him for a while. Daniel was still finding himself. Jack hated the New Age-iness of the phrase but it definitely applied. Alongside finding himself, he was also negotiating his place on the team and in Jack’s life. It was difficult for him and at times overwhelming and frustrating. Daniel was second-guessing his responses all the time, at work and in bed. Jack guided him gently at the SGC and let him find his own way between the new sheets he’d bought when Daniel remembered he loved him. They were rediscovering their pleasure in each other slowly – at work and play.

“Got you a great present, too,” Jack distracted himself from the deep stuff with thoughts of Christmas morning. Actually, it _was_ Christmas morning.

“You did?”

“Oh yeah. You’ll love it.”

“I will. But I’ve already got everything I want.” Daniel’s eyes were still closed. He closed his eyes a lot lately. Jack wasn’t sure if he was hiding sometimes, from himself, from this life that was both old and startlingly new. Eventually, he turned his soft gaze on Jack.

“Yeah,” Jack’s tone softened in response. “Me too.”

“Everything except for snow. I love snow at Christmas. Never had it when I was a kid. We were always in warm climes.” Daniel fell silent for while and Jack let him remember, following Fraiser’s orders to “let him gain his memories naturally.” Daniel rarely spoke about his childhood, and who knew how much even recalled. “And then, after  ... then I longed for warm climes and I didn’t give a damn about snow. About anything, really.”

Jack placed his hand over the fingers that were massaging his knee and squeezed. Touching Daniel made Jack’s heart soar. He’d been so sure, so bone-deep certain, that he would never touch him again.

“I loved Christmas when I was a kid,” Jack said, holding on to Daniel. “My mom and dad were sticklers for family traditions. We put the tree up on Christmas Eve, went to church, came home and were allowed to open one present. I always chose the smallest parcel. Wanted to save the big stuff for the big day. Never could sleep that night. One year, my brother crept downstairs, opened all his presents and tried to wrap them up again. Man, did he get it.” He smiled at the memory.

“I had some good Christmases with foster families,” Daniel said. “I usually got some of the things I asked for. The problem was I couldn’t have the one thing I really wanted and everyone knew it. It was the big festive elephant in the room, I guess.”

They sat in silence for a while, Jack stroking the back of Daniel’s hand with his thumb.

“Charlie loved Christmas,” Jack said quietly. He hadn’t meant to talk about him. Daniel had his knack of making Jack talk about stuff he didn’t mean to talk about. “I still have the cards he made for me and Sara and some of the tree decorations he made at kindergarten. We shared them. After ...” Jack could see them now – clumsy, badly-painted papier mache Santas and Mexican stars. He hadn’t looked at them in years. Maybe when they got home, he’d show them to Daniel.

Daniel shifted beside Jack, moving in close until they were brushing shoulders. It was immensely comforting.

“I missed you so much,” Jack said. They hadn’t spoken at all about that bleak, awful year. Jack hadn’t said a word about how angry and taciturn he became or how he hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about it, which, in turn, made him even more difficult to live with.

“I know.” There was no pity or sorrow in Daniel’s voice, just an acceptance.

“I think maybe I was a bastard.”

Daniel bumped his shoulder. “There’s no maybe about it.”

Jack turned his head. “Who’ve you been talking to?”

“Everyone.”

“Everyone said I was a bastard while you were gone?”

“Yep.”

“Huh.”

Jack digested that for a moment. “Even Teal’c?” Teal’c was his buddy, a fellow warrior who understood the nature of losing a comrade.

“Especially Teal’c.”

Jack picked up a little stone from the cave floor and threw it in mock anger at the opposite wall. “That’s it. No Poochinsky box set for him. I’m keeping it for myself.”

Daniel laughed and lay his head on Jack’s shoulder. They sat together, quietly, for a while, listening to the gentle trickle of water somewhere deeper in the cave and watching dust particles dance and play in the narrow beam of the flashlight.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Daniel said, suddenly.

“Yeah,” Jack said into the quiet.

“Off-world nookie rules still apply?” Daniel asked, no real hope in his voice.

“Yeah.”

“No one will know,” Daniel said, reasonably enough, Jack thought.

“ _I’ll_ know.” Jack was nothing if not truthful, even to the detriment of his own needs. And he did need Daniel, so much it hurt.

“Okay,” Daniel said on a wistful sigh. “I’ll save up all my desperate longing for when I can ravish you in your bed.”

“ _Our_ bed,” Jack said, quickly. No thought required.

Daniel sat up, half turning to face Jack, his hand still on Jack’s knee. “You asking me to move in with you?”

Jack blinked. “I am.” In fact, he’d been thinking about it ever since he left Daniel in the VIP room that first night back from Vis Uban - it had felt wrong, closing the door on him, as though he were leaving him behind; they didn’t work apart - he just hadn’t envisaged broaching the subject trapped in an off-world cave at fuck o’clock on Christmas morning.

Daniel blinked. “How are we going to explain that?”

 “You don’t like where you’re living.”

“I don’t.”

“You want to be closer to the Mountain.”

“I do.”

“You want to stay with a friend while you get back to being you.”

“That too.”

They both thought some more.

“So ... all of that is true. No lying required,” Daniel said, carefully.

“There is, of course, lying by omission,” Jack said, slowly.

“Fuck that,” Daniel said, forcefully, eyes hard as flint, glinting in the low light. “We’ve both paid too high a price for too long. We’ve given enough to the Program. Now? I’m willing to break some rules, sleeping with the man I love in contravention of some small-minded fucked-up regs chief among them."

He was angry. This was new Daniel; more pro-active, less constrained. Jack liked him.

“I feel it incumbent upon me to point out that the regs are there for reasons, often good reasons.”

“And one day Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will be repealed. Let’s just consider ourselves ahead of the game.”

Jack smiled. “We always were trailblazers.”

“Boldly going.”

“That was someone else.”

Daniel leaned in and took Jack’s face in his hands. “I will live with you Jack. I will be your love.” Daniel’s fingers were firm and warm on Jack’s face. To be held this way was blissful. Jack closed his eyes and couldn’t stop the smile from forming. “Just as soon as the rockfall this craggy mountain yielded is cleared,” Daniel finished, barely concealing his delight. Only Daniel would have the presence of mind at a time like this to quote one of the English language’s best-known love poems.

And only Daniel would know that Jack would recognize it.

Jack leaned in and touched his forehead to Daniel’s. It absolutely wasn’t a kiss, except ...

Jack’s radio clicked and through a blast of static he heard Carter’s voice. “Think ... found you ... Teal’c ... gate for the gear ... not long ...” And then nothing but a loud hiss.

“Told you they were onto it,” Daniel said, still nuzzling heads.

“You did.”

“Gonna tell me what you bought me for Christmas?”

“A toothbrush mug.”

“Really?”

“It matches mine.”

Yeah. He’d been thinking about it for a while.

Daniel laughed and settled down beside him and Jack threw an arm around his shoulder, hauling him in, holding him close and safe. They would be here a while yet. His thoughts drifted to Christmas and the end of the year and new beginnings. This was going to be a better holiday season than he'd had any right to expect.  
  
He had Daniel and he had a future. He smiled and nuzzled Daniel's hair, breathing him in.

_Everything I want ..._


End file.
